Reaching You
by Calenmarwen
Summary: Tonks has a mysterious dream that leads her to an abandoned house. But what danger lurks in the darkness inside?


**Reaching You**

Rain pounded against the windows, but behind thick curtains in a little room the figure of a young woman lay warm and cozily asleep in her bed. She slept peacefully, her bubblegum pink hair spread across the pillow. Suddenly a change came over her sleep. Her skin burned, she tossed and cried out wildly. Her hair flashed red and she woke with a jerk. Shakily she sat up, still sweating and shivered.

The dream had been so vivid; she couldn't rid her mind of it. More than anything she longed to feel his arms around her that could take away all her fears. Yet she knew before she turned that he wouldn't be there. Her hand reached out to feel his side of the bed. No heat remained in it; he must have been gone for a long while.

Frighteningly the thought struck her; what if her dream was true? She swore, threw back the covers and started to dress hurriedly. She grasped her wand from the bedside table where a photo of them smiled up at her. Resolutely she turned her hair back to pink. Wherever he was, she was going to find him.

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Mist strayed down into the dell and filled the hollows like rising water. It seemed to put out arms and envelop the rundown house so that it could hardly be seen in the dimness of the evening light. The rain had stopped but the air was still heavy as if a storm was coming. The moon, one week past the full, shone down and struck a long dark shadow from a woman standing on the lip of the dell. Its light also shone on the mist giving it an eerie glow.

She wondered how she knew this was the right place, yet she was sure it was, and the remembered urgency of the dream drew her on. The answer must lie in the house, and so she began to make her way down the side of the dell towards it. As she walked the mist seemed to open reluctantly before her and close forbiddingly behind. When she reached the door she saw it was broken and lay back on its hinges at an awkward angle. At that moment, the storm broke. The wind arose and swept the mist away, rushing past the woman in tatters. There was a flash of lightening that made her jump, and a deafening boom of thunder. The house stood silent and ominous before her. Swallowing her fear, she passed in.

It was even darker inside, except for the occasional flashes still lighting up the sky, and she waited a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimness then went on, her feet awaking dust on the bare floor. The now dark brown of her hair echoed her anxious frame of mind. She walked through the gloomy empty rooms more quietly than she would have thought possible, her eyes searching, her mind on one thing. Through a hallway, up the stairs; she staggered, but determinedly carried on; across the landing, always searching, searching.

Eventually she found him. So it was true. In a barren back bedroom, lying in a heap on the floor where he had fallen. Clothes ripped and torn, with small wounds that leaked blood, like her eyes that now wept tears. His eyes were closed, he made no sound and she didn't know whether he still lived or not. Quickly she moved to his side, knelt and reached out to him with a trembling hand that pushes back some of his tawny hair, prematurely streaked with grey, that had fallen across his face; pale as death. She bent over him, her face close to his.

"Remus?" she called softly. The man on the floor did not move or make any sign he had hear.

"Remus, please . . ." she whispered, her voice choked with emotion, and bit her lip. A tear from her cheek dropped onto his. At this he stirred slightly.

"Remus?" she tried again with fresh hope.

"Nym?" he whispered barely audible. She could tell he was breathing now, as his chest rose and fell but he still hadn't opened his eyes.

The lightening flashed once again and she saw in its light a shadow stretched out across the floor. She whirled round quickly and saw the intruder framed in the doorway. In the dim light she saw him grin wickedly and realized it was he who has inflicted such pain. A blind fury took hold of her such that could not be contained. She saw red and abruptly her hair flashed that colour too. Rising up, she rushed upon the grinning invader, wand drawn and ready. Taken off guard he stumbled back from the ferocity of her attack. Once out in the hall she saw more figures, five of them, and realized they must be members of the intruder, Greyback's, pack.

Outnumbered yet determined, she aimed her first spell at the leader. He dodged backwards - too far; falling against the rotten wood of the banister he crashed through, landing on the floor below with a sickening thud. Still using the weapon of surprise, she sent another hex flying towards one of the other shadowy figures and started moving, seeking cover. Advancing towards her next adversary, she tripped and fell. Yet the two spells aimed at her from opponents in front and behind hit their alternate senders who went down and did not get up again. "Three down, three to go." She thought regaining her footing and sending a quick stunning spell to cover her advance to the head of the stairs. She managed to hit another pack member with a well aimed curse who dropped to the ground.

An enemy spell came whizzing towards her and she threw herself backwards out of its path. Missing her footing, she tumbled, shouting as she fell down the staircase, landing heavily at the bottom. Still dazed from the fall and having lost her wand, she had no chance to defend herself as a dark figure from the ground floor suddenly spelled her where she lay. It seemed the werewolf chief had only been stunned by his fall. He advanced upon his prey menacingly, as she lay helpless at his feet. She felt her consciousness gradually slipping away. Giving her another evil grin, the wolf raised his wand to kill . . . but his stroke never fell. Suddenly a commotion broke out above them. There was a confusion of voices and flashes of competing spells. With her last failing senses, the now brown haired witch saw a figure leap over the side of the staircase down onto the threatening man before her. Then her thoughts fluttered far away and darkness fell.

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A long while later, in a moment of semi-awareness, her mind still reeling, she felt her head being lifted gently up and onto someone's lap. She opened her eyes slightly; it still hurt to move at all, and met a pair of amber ones staring back down at her. There was a pain in her partner's eyes and tears, his face covered in blood and sweat. One of his hands stroked her hair gently which remained brown due to her exhaustion.

"Is it over?" she whispered.

"Yes Nym," he said soothingly. "They've gone and I doubt we'll ever be troubled by them again."

Black specks swam in front of her eyes and she closed them and slipped back into darkness.

When she next awoke she was lying in a bed with the covers pulled up to her chest but her arms outside the blankets. "It must be a bright room." She thought as she could see light through her closed eyelids. But best of all she could feel the presence of someone sitting on the bed. She lay with eyes closed for a moment too comfortable to move.

Then she noticed that the man on the bed was talking to her. "Strange he knows I'm awake," she thought, then realized he didn't.

"Come on Nymphadora," she heard her partner saying in little more than a whisper, and scowled inwardly at his use of her first name. "Please wake up! The healers can't tell me what's wrong with you, and . . ." his voice broke slightly here and she almost missed his words. " . . . I don't know what I'd do without you."

She'd almost opened her eyes to reply when he started talking again, louder this time but to himself.

"I shouldn't be thinking things like that, I almost got her killed! I'm not safe to be with and I can't go on putting her in danger. I have to let her go . . . even though it'll be the hardest thing I'll ever have to do. When she wakes up, I'll see that she's alright, then I should leave her."

"If you leave me now, Remus John Lupin, I'll hex you from here to eternity!" she said unable to contain herself any longer. He spun around to face her and saw her looking at him with an angry expression in her bright blue eyes.

"Tonks!" he cried. "Thank goodness you're alright."

"I'm fine thanks to you," she said heatedly. "Now what would I have done if you hadn't been there?"

He blushed and looked down.

"You shouldn't have been there at all but for me. This can't go on, you might have died!"

"Remus I'm an Auror for pity's sake! What do you expect, but I won't have you blaming yourself for this."

"But . . ." he started but was cut off.

"If you really care for me, there should be no 'but' arguments against what we both want. I love you Remus, do you not love me?"

"Of course I do!" he replied hotly. "That's why I need to protect you."

"I don't give a damn about the risks! What will it take for you to realize I'm serious?" she said exasperated.

"Look, let's not do this now," he said. "You're still recovering. I'm going to get some tea, do you want some?"

"Yeah, sure." She lay back against the pillows and thought over her last question while he was away. By the time he came back she had an answer. He handed her a cup of steaming tea, and sat down. She voiced the question she'd thought of in his absence, while he took a sip of tea. He choked and looked at her in great surprise as her words registered in his brain.

"Remus Lupin, will you marry me?"

-Fin


End file.
